When Will Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Open?

Everyone is getting excited about the final piece of New Fantasyland, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The new Magic Kingdom roller coaster was first announced on January 18, 2011. It has been over three years, and we still do not know when the attraction will open.

Since we don’t like to speculate or go on rumors, we’re going to let you do it! When do you think the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will soft open? (We will define a soft open as the first day Disney guests are allowed to ride.) Disney cast members will get to ride before the soft open date.)

Steve Bloom

By helping TouringPlans.com continue to reach the most accurate crowd level predictions, Steve finally found a way to meld his training in statistical analysis with a lifelong passion for Disney. He first visited the Magic Kingdom in 1972, just a few months after it opened. Now he enjoys frequent trips with his two kids. At age four his son insisted on wearing cowboy boots to reach the height requirement for Test Track, and his daughter believes that a smoked turkey leg and Dole Whip make a perfectly balanced meal. Even though she doesn't quite get it, Steve's wife is supportive of his Disney activities.

Hey TANK!
I don’t think anyone is criticizing, just excited and anxious. Naming an entire year is a petty broad window. Speculating is fun! Anyone have thoughts on if they’ll do a Blog Meet up or AP event first?

I agree. Was just listening to the last podcast with Len and Jim Hill on Diagon Alley and that whole section of the part is flying up but going up with outstanding details. AND there is a rail car ride there as well.

I miss AP events…correct me if I’m wrong, but they haven’t done an AP only opening event in a very long time. I know the last one I went to was when the American Idol Experience opened. Right? They didn’t have one for the opening of New Fantasyland (they did have previews, but I swear I don’t remember any for just AP holders) and they didn’t have one for Test Track.

It has literally taken longer to build the 7DMT than the time between the start of the Manhattan Project to the Trinity test. Getting excited! I’ll be there in March so I am hoping for some soft openings at least.

Should have used “seemingly” or “actually”…”literally” is the incorrect usage as you are not differentiating from a figurative or metaphoric expression. Sorry, just tired of the growing pandemic of its misuse.

Actually, from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project “The Manhattan Project began modestly in 1939” and “The first nuclear device ever detonated was an implosion-type bomb at the Trinity test, conducted at New Mexico’s Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range on 16 July 1945.” so that is closer to six years making the critique of the word “literally” an accurate one, just saying.

August 13 of 1942 per your wiki link is when the Manhattan project actually became the Manhattan project. So this has literally taken longer than the time from the start of the “Manhattan Project” until the trinity test.

I like to use the Empire State Building’s construction time in these debates. 16 months from start of excavation until ribbon cutting. Whenever the folks around here start bragging about how fast they are getting a building built, I like to remind them that the Empire State Building only took 16 months. The plans for the building took only two weeks to draw up. If you could build a building the size and complexity of the Empire State in 16 months, you’d think you could build a roller coaster in over twice that time…

Crossing my fingers it will be in soft opening for my visit on March 8th. But I’m really not holding my breath. CMs still haven’t heard anything about previews… Boo. Will probably have to wait for my June trip. Hopefully it will be on the FP+ system by then…

the older term for media event would be a “press conference” although if you say press conference folks think of a bunch of reporters in a room with a public relations guy at a podium in the front of the room, and for WDW “media events” the folks that run the parks have wisely figured out that the more fun the “press/media” have the better coverage WDW will get so WDW media events tend to feature things like free samples of food, and sometimes even adult beverages , often IN the parks where the event occurs, sometimes even things like free rooms for some members of the press, in short WDW media events are pretty cool. They tend to happen (many times) a few days BEFORE the “official” opening, and that means quite often they occur AFTER “soft openings”, soft opening are when they are letting guests enjoy the attractions but they are not officially open so that the ride can be shut down to improve things if they see something that could work better, for that reason “soft openings” are also often known as the “test and adjust” phase.

I don’t mean to add fuel to the fire but this weekend it looked VERY promising that the ride will open soon. Most of the walls have been pulled down and the ones that remain would be very easy to take down. This is how the rest of Fantasyland looked in the weeks before soft openings. I was also able to see trains cycling frequently on the tracks. It looks like soft openings could start very soon… maybe even this week.

We are going to be there on the day of the press event…just wondering if anybody knows from past events- are the rides usually only open to members of the press on this day, or will it be restricted for a few hours and then possibly open to the public?